How should testing accommodations be designed to preserve validity?

• A. Provide accommodations that significantly change the construct being measured.
• B. Provide accommodations that do not alter the constructs being measured and follow test directions and policies.
• C. Ignore test directions.
• D. Allow unlimited time in all cases.

Answer: (B)

Testing accommodations should remove barriers without changing what the test is intended to measure. The validity of the test depends on whether the student’s score reflects the same construct the test aims to assess. When accommodations are designed so they don’t alter the construct being measured and the student follows the test directions and policies, the results remain comparable and fair across test-takers.

Providing extra time or accessible formats can be appropriate if they help the student demonstrate the same knowledge or skill without introducing new ways of solving problems or accessing content. Following test directions and policies keeps the testing conditions standardized, so scores aren’t affected by inconsistent procedures.

Other approaches that change what the test measures—such as altering the construct itself, bypassing directions, or removing time constraints in all cases—would distort what is being evaluated and undermine validity.